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How to Sharpen Your Cybersecurity Strategy Using the MITRE ATT&CK® Framework

Thomas Freeman

May 23 2025

3 min read

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the flood of cyber threats out there, you’re not alone. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to boil the ocean. The MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK®) framework gives you a practical, structured cybersecurity strategy for identifying which threats matter most to your organization—and what to do about them.

Use MITRE ATT&CK to Identify What Threats Actually Apply to You

The MITRE ATT&CK framework maps real-world tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by attackers. It’s essentially a cheat sheet of how attackers get in, move around, and get what they want.

But here’s the best part: you can filter ATT&CK data by industry and known threat actors. For example:

If you’re in health care, you can look up advanced persistent threat (APT) groups like INC Ransom—a ransomware group that specifically targets hospitals and providers.
From there, you can see exactly which techniques the group uses—including Valid Accounts (T1078) or Remote Access Software (T1219)—and which tactics those techniques support.

It’s not just a big list—it’s a way to connect the dots between threats and your own environment.

Apply MITRE ATT&CK to Your Cybersecurity Strategy in a Real, Practical Way

Knowing the threats is just the first step in protecting your organization. Here’s how you can start applying this knowledge right away:

Augment Risk Assessments – Use ATT&CK data to identify which TTPs are most likely to affect your business and prioritize those in your risk assessments.
Develop Security Policies – Align your policies with the real tactics attackers use. Get rid of generic policies—write ones that counter actual threats.
Create Incident Response Plans and Conduct Tabletop Exercises – Design scenarios based on the tactics you’ve identified. Practice responding to what’s likely, not just what’s possible.
Perform Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing – Focus testing around the techniques real-world actors are using in your sector.
Implement Controls – Deploy tools and safeguards that defend against the techniques that actually put your data and systems at risk.

The outcome? You’re not just “doing security;” you’re being strategic. That’s how you make every dollar of your budget count.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

The ATT&CK framework is powerful, but turning that intelligence into a mature, year-round cybersecurity program can be overwhelming and feel like a full-time job (because it is).

That’s where Sikich C-Suite Services come in. We work alongside your leadership team to break all of this down into manageable, strategic steps. From mapping real threats to your environment to helping you build a plan of action and milestones (POAM) and tracking progress over time, we act as your partner in cybersecurity maturity—without the cost of a full-time executive hire.

Let’s turn ATT&CK intelligence into action. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how we can support your team with experienced virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) leadership that drives results.

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Thomas Freeman

Thomas is a Senior Consultant with the Sikich penetration testing team. He has spent more than 30 years providing IT leadership, and his consulting expertise helps companies understand and build best-practice information security programs. In his engagements, Thomas taps into his education background to provide clients insight that they can use to strengthen their security posture and culture. Thomas holds Global Information Assurance Certifications (GIAC), including as a GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) and GIAC Certified Windows System Administrator (GCWN). He is also a member of (ISC)2, pursuing his certification as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), as well as ISSA and FBI InfraGard.